ink drawing Archives - Page 2 of 5

Inktober Unleashed: Embracing the Energy of Spontaneous Inking

Bait and Trap ink illustration by Ralph Contreras

The Art of Letting Loose: Finding Inspiration on Inktober day 3

So I really struggled with Inktober’s third day prompt of Bait. I think it actually shows in the inking too. I had no real idea what I wanted to ink. Then it came to me, if there’s bait then that equals a trap. So I illustrated a box trap with a bushel of carrots as the bait.

I went straight into the inking with this illustration, no pencil sketch to start with. I think you can tell with the unevenness of the line work. But I think that really worked for this ink drawing. There’s an energy that I would have lost if I had over worked it. I used a Pentel brush pen and I feel it created really nice organic ink strokes.

I really wanted to focus on the composition of shadows and light in this illustration. The the box is bright with light against a very dark background. Then the inside of the box is also dark with a deep shadow. I tried to use the rope as an eye leading element to the bushel of carrots bait.

Even though I originally had a hard time with the prompt concept of Bait, I had fun just letting loose on this illustration. You can really see and feel the energy in the brush strokes on the background and in the box. I’ll need to remember to bring this energy to my future ink illustrations.

Robot Revolution: Unplugged and Unleashed for Inktober’s Mindless

Mindless Android Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Mindless and Mighty: Inking an Android to Life for Inktober Day 2

Here’s my second inking for this year’s Inktober. The prompt was “Mindless”. I had a few ideas of what I could draw. A crazy person or maybe someone lobotomized. But I liked the idea of illustrating a robot or android with the top of its head coming off. Showing that there’s no traditional brain, just tubes, and wires.

Unlike my previous Inktober illustration, I did start with a pencil drawing instead of going straight to inks. Just to get a general idea of what I wanted the android to look like, I drew a quick sketch of the head. I inked over the pencil sketch with my new LePen Technical Drawing Pen I picked up at Blicks art store for this year’s Inktober. The pen gave nice control that let me ink with steady contour lines. I also tried to add some hatching and solid black areas to give the illustration some depth.

Video of Ralph Contreras inking Illustration

I had fun with this illustration and who doesn’t enjoy drawing robots? I also embedded a video of me doing the final inks of my “Mindless” Android.

Inking the Flames: My Johnny Cash Inspired Ink Illustration

Ring of Fire Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Brushing Life into Flames and Faces: Inktober Day 1

Here’s my first inking for this year’s inktober. The prompt is “Ring” and I knew exactly what I wanted to illustrate when I read that. I was inspired to do an ink drawing of Johnny Cash’s song “Ring of Fire”.

For this Inktober illustration, I went straight to inking, with no pencil sketch to start off with. This is a bit of a challenge for me because I usually like to start with a pencil sketch. I used a small brush and India ink, I wanted organic flowing lines. When I ink with a pen or nib my illustrations can look stiff sometimes. And I wanted to capture the movement and feel of the flames, I felt a brush would help there.

I inked a face inside an engulfing ring of fire. There are deep shadows and highlights from the flames cast across the face. The face was supposed to be Johnny Cash, but it kinda looks like a young Jack Kirby to me, lol.

I also used my Exacto knife to scratch off some parts that I messed up. It’s the first time I’ve done this. I’ve seen other inkers fix or add details this way, so I gave it a try here. I’m really happy with this first Inktober illustration and I like that it kinda looks like a woodcut print too.

Driving Toward Danger: Revving Up the Action

Cars Playing Chicken Ink Illustration by Ralph Contreras

Pedal to the Metal: My Inktober Day 5 Illustration

I was excited to tackle the Inktober prompt for Day 5, “Chicken”. Immediately, I thought of creating a high-action scene with two cars driving at each other, and I was thrilled to bring this concept to life.

For this illustration, I wanted to focus on creating a strong composition beyond simply drawing a figure. To achieve this, I decided to draw the point of view of one of the drivers from inside their car, complete with a gloved hand gripping the steering wheel. The skewed view of the incoming car adds to the sense of fast-paced action, and I even included dust from the second car, complete with a headlight glaring at the oncoming vehicle.

I am very happy with the final result of my ink drawing. I believe that the composition and cars capture nicely the “Chicken” prompt. Overall, this piece was a great opportunity for me to experiment with a new technique and push my artistic boundaries.

The Power of Resistance: Inking for a Revolution

Unleashing My Inner Rebel: Inktober Day 4

For Inktober Day 4, the prompt word was “Spell”. As part of my challenge to focus on composition this year, I tried to create depth. I used a solid black silhouette of a cityscape in the background. In the foreground, I drew a person spray-painting the word “resist.” I included a train cutting across the panel to further enhance the sense of depth.

I found that using solid black to separate the different sections of the composition worked in creating a cohesive overall image. I decided to use a ruler for this particular piece. It really helped with all the details on the train. Overall, I felt that this illustration was a success, and I enjoyed drawing and inking it.

One personal achievement for me during the creation of this piece was inking it at a Starbucks. I typically do not draw or ink in public, so this was a significant step in pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

Fire and Fury: A Wurm Style Dragon Illustration

Sizzling Action: My Inktober Day 3 Masterpiece

For Day 3 of Inktober, I decided to have some fun with the prompt “Roasted” and created a piece featuring a wurm style dragon breathing fire and roasting an unfortunate victim. I originally thought about drawing a knight but decided to use a generic character to keep the focus on the dragon and the action.

Since I’m been focusing on composition in my ink illustrations this year, I made a conscious effort to create a piece that would guide the viewer’s eye. The dragon’s looping form helps to draw the eye toward the flames and the roasted character. I also used a solid black background to help make the dragon stand out even more.

As I was working on this illustration, I couldn’t help but notice that the dragon looked like Shenron from Dragon Ball Z. This was probably subconscious because I have been watching Super Dragon Ball recently. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this illustration and felt that it was a success in both the action and composition.

Power of the Third Eye: Journey of Artistic Discovery

Finding Tranquility in Ink: My Day 2 Inktober Drawing

For my Inktober 2018 Day 2 ink drawing, I tackled the prompt “Tranquil”. This time, I wanted to play around with composition and try something a little different from my usual comic-style drawings.

In this illustration, the figure is accessing a higher plane, with her third eye open and a jewel in her hand that has rays of light breaking through the illustration borders. I tried to make the jewel the focal point of the illustration and added a solid background to help the figure and light rays pop out.

This was definitely a departure from my usual style, I really enjoyed working on something different. Inktober and its prompts are a great way to challenge me and think outside of my regular art subjects.

245 Trioxin: The Poisonous Gas That Started It All

Tarman One Creepy Zombie: My Inktober Day 1 Drawing

For Inktober Day 1 the prompt was “Poisonous.”, I decided to draw and ink Tarman from the classic horror-comedy film “The Return of the Living Dead” with the title 245 Trioxin. This toxic gas is what creates the zombies in the film, and it’s a key element of the story.

I have a personal connection to this movie because I saw it in the theater when it was released, and it really influenced my joy of zombie movies (even though it also kind of traumatized me!). For this ink illustration, I tried a few different techniques, including an ink-wash background and a solid black figure. I also used a white gel pen to bring out the details of Tarman’s bones, skull, teeth, and eyes, and I tried to give him the creepy grin that he’s famously known for.

Even though my ink drawing doesn’t look exactly like the movie version of Tarman, I’m still happy with how it turned out. It’s creepy and unsettling, just like a good zombie should be. I usually don’t draw scary or horror subjects but I had fun with this Inktober prompt.

Spooky Cartoony Fun: My Inktober Vampire

Cartoony Vampire Ink Drawing by Ralph Contreras

Inktober Fang-tastic: My Cartoony Vampire Drawing

In 2015, I participated in Inktober and decided to draw a cartoony vampire for one of the prompts. I wanted to challenge myself to draw in a style that I don’t usually use, which is inspired by anime and manga with big eyes.

To create the ink illustration, I used a combination of Pentel Brush, Micron pens, and Sharpie pen. I tried to give the vampire some movement by drawing his flowing cape. To make him stand out, I added a black background. One of the rules of Inktober is to draw only with ink and no pencil sketching. I enjoyed the process of creating something spontaneously.

Overall, it was a fun time drawing this spooky cartoony vampire for Inktober. It allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and experiment with new techniques.

Fury on Paper: Mad Max Drawing in Micron Pens

Sharp Lines and Cross-Hatching: Inking of Mad Max for Inktober

In October 2015, I participated in Inktober and did an ink drawing inspired by the Mad Max: Fury Road movie. The drawing is of Max wearing a metal muzzle when he was strapped to the front of the villain Nux’s roadster. I used Micron pens and a Sharpie pen for the ink illustration.

For this drawing, I experimented with a lot of cross-hatching, more than I usually do. I wanted to try a new approach to inking and challenge myself to use only ink pens without a pencil sketch underneath. While the result is a little wonky and stiff, I’m really happy with how it turned out.

What new techniques have you experimented with, and what were the results? Share your experiences in the comments below!